The contender for the Nationalist Party leadership Adrian Delia, has reportedly concealed having an offshore bank account in Jersey.

But in a statement posted on Facebook, Delia has categorically denied the claims made by Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who published his account number of an alleged Barclays International account on Jersey, a tax haven.

“I repeat that I have no monies in any other jurisdiction except Malta, and that I never had money in Barclays, as alleged by Caruana Galizia, or any other foreign bank.”

Delia said he would file a defamation case against Caruana Galizia.

Delia has already denied holding any such offshore assets in an interview with MaltaToday. When asked on Wednesday by Caruana Galizia, Delia also denied holding an offshore bank account, but the columnist has insisted that Delia, a litigation lawyer, is the owner of a bank account with Barclays International of Jersey, and published his account number.

When asked as to whether he owned such an account, a spokesperson for Delia told Caruana Galizia “no, never”.

On Sunday, Delia told MaltaToday that he did not have any “companies abroad; overseas accounts; nominee-ships abroad; I don’t have people fronting me abroad”, when queried about his financial interests.

Delia has been cagey about giving a full declaration of assets after Nationalist MP Chris Said and outgoing PN treasurer Alex Perici Calascione presented their own declarations.

Delia was later revealed to have been assigned a constitution of debt by HSBC Malta of €7.2 million for loans taken out by Mgarr Developments Ltd, a company in which he holds a 9% interest. The other shareholders are two companies, one of which is owned by Delia’s legal firm’s partner, Georg Sapiano. The company acquired the former Mgarr Hotel to be redeveloped into a 40-apartment complex.

When asked to declare his assets on Sunday, Delia said:

“I have my house in Main Street, Siggiewi… a couple of rooms with some fields in Siggiewi, limits of Rabat… a 40% shareholding in a small company called Carnaby: we import wines and sell them. I’ve already said I have a 9% share in Mgarr Developments Ltd: which has one development in Gozo...”

When asked about the €7.2 million debt, Delia said that he will be selling off his stake in the company once the properties are sold off and the debt can be repaid.